A journal

A journal (journey?) of alleged progress in the wonderful sport of archery

I only really had the idea of writing down some of my musings about my newfound pastime late in 2006, so I've picked up from when I can remember. All other notable competitions and achievements will be written up as time progresses.

To prevent this page from looking like a boring list of text, click on the links opposite for each piece of content. More will be added as we progress, and I'm sure some will inevitably overlap one another.

2008

2008 will be less about gaining a classification, and reducing of handicaps, and more about achieving some proper milestones in the archery world which are recognisable on a much wider scale. So my targets for this year are a real step up now, to the big boys' league, and will hopefully include:

The Big One - I really want to make Bowman classification this year. This will mean having to shoot to a handicap of 36 over rounds that are 100yds (or 90m) in distance, and are at least 6 dozen arrows. Bearing in mind that my handicap is at 34, this (in theory) is relatively achievable.

Awards - I'd also like to achieve a 1000 FITA Star, (or maybe an 1100 would be nice), a 1050 FITA English Cross , and the 900 York Rose. All of these would mean shooting to a 37 handicap or better, so I'll have to start some serious practice at 100yds & 90m over the winter.

To achieve these awards I have to shoot at some of the more recognised tournaments like some County Championships and FITA Star tournaments. These are a completely different type of shoot to the local shoots I'd been attending in 2007, and whilst I have no great desire to make it to the Olympics, my attitude is that if I'm going to compete, then I want to be competitive! As a bi-product of attending some of these Record Status shoots, I would also like to achieve a ranking this year too. By my very rough reckoning, I think I'm capable of around 4000, maybe 4100 ranking points (Three FITAs, two FITA 70's, and two Olympic "head to heads"). I'll put this marker down now, and let's see where we end up when the season ends. Wish me luck!

2007

2007 ended as my first full calendar year in archery, and I was fairly pleased with the progress I'd made - reduced my outdoor handicap to 34, (winning the handicap reduction medal in the process), and although I'd modestly hoped to achieve 2nd Class during the year, was very pleased to make 1st Class. The next milestone is Bowman, which is a very large leap forward, and possibly something to aim for in 2008.